An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Pacific Air Chiefs visit AMC Headquarters

  • Published
  • By Bekah Clark
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Nine Pacific Air Chiefs visited Air Mobility Command Oct. 28 as part of a multi-stop tour consisting of several U.S. Air Force installations in an effort to continue to develop and enhance the relationship between the U.S. and other air forces, officials said. 

The air chiefs, who hailed from Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand, and were escorted by Gen. Gary North, Pacific Air Forces commander, came to AMC to specifically focus on and learn about AMC's operations and core competencies, with special attention paid to the aeromedical evacuation mission. 

AMC key leaders and the Pacific air chiefs discussed multiple AMC-related hot topics.
Of particular interest was how AMC has raised survivability rates for wounded servicemembers. Maj. Gen. Douglas Robb, AMC Surgeon General, credited the success to high-tech medicine, robust en route care, rapid medical evacuation, and most importantly the hard work of the Airmen.

Since 9-11, AMC has completed more than 28,000 AE sorties and more than 140,000 patient movements. Today, wounded warriors who reach the AE system are returned to the U.S. in three days or less and have a remarkable 98-percent survival rate -- the highest rates in recorded conflict.

The air chiefs discussed AMC's tanker acquisition process as well.

"I sincerely hope that Air Mobility Command will get a new tanker," said General Kenichiro Hokazono, Chief of Staff for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, during discussions about the KC-X program. 

Topics also discussed were contingency response capabilities as well as the incoming C-27J mission.

During their time at Scott AFB, the air chiefs received an AMC command brief followed by a tour and mission brief of the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center. 

Additionally, the Air Chiefs received a tour of a mobile aeromedical staging facility, and a static tour of a C-130 configured for a Critical Care Air Transportation Team aeromedical mission, where four of the air chiefs were able to try their hand at transporting a patient on a stretcher to the plane. 

"We are very impressed by the range of capabilities that AMC has," said General Ng Chee Khern, Chief of the Republic of Singapore Air Force, after the meeting. 

Their morning at AMC was followed by a tour of U.S. Transportation Command operations. 

The air chiefs' tour started with a visit to Nellis AFB, Nev., and the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. The Air Chiefs continued on to Eielson AFB, Alaska after their visit to AMC and Scott AFB. 

Maj. Gen. Ng Chee Kern; Gen. Kenichiro Hokazono; Col. Jofri Bin Haji Abdullah, Commander, Royal Brunei Air Force; Lt. Gen. Soeung Samnang, Commander, Royal Cambodian Air Force; Gen. Dato' Rodzali bin Daud, Chief of Air Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force; Col. Dashdeleg Tojoon, Commander, Mongolian Air Defense Force; Air Vice-Marshal G.B. Lintott, Chief of Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force; Lt. Gen. Oscar H. Rabena, Commanding General, Philippine Air Force; and Air Chief Marshal Itthaporn Subhawong, Commander-in-Chief, Royal Thai Air Force made up the group of visiting air chiefs. 

So far this year, in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, there have been more than 13,000 tanker sorties that refueled more than 60,000 aircraft with more than 806 million pounds of fuel. 

Additionally, since the start of 2009, there have been more than 37,000 airlift sorties, hauling people, supplies, and equipment to and from the AOR.